Alejandro Matos - Persona (2006)

#Músicaparaelencierro. Seguimos con nuestra revisión de discos progresivos argentinos y latinoamericanos, y tenemos mucho para mostrarles todo lo bueno que se hace en estas tierras. Aquí, el primer disco de Alejandro Matos, como para empezar la semana con el tema que ya veníamos desarrollano. La tapa cebra-huella dactilar da una muestra del estilo personal desde el que éste músico encara su música, que invito a conocer y disfrutar. Más under argentino para el blog cabezón.

Artista: Alejandro Matos

Álbum: Persona
Año: 2006
Género: Rock progresivo ecléctico / Progresivo crossover
Duración: 64:59
Nacionalidad: Argentina

En 2006 el señor Matos editó "Persona", su primer disco que presento ahora, y cuenta la historia de una lucha por la conquista de la máscara verdadera. La música suena por momentos sinforockera, por momentos psicodélica, por momentos alternativa y aparecen las experimentaciones de Matos.
Su rock progresivo oscuro con influencias argentinas en las melodías, mientrqs que se evidencia más la falta de una buena voz, mientras que instrumentalmente y compositivamente es más básico, pero no deja de estar el gérmen que se desarrollaría después y en definitiva es un buen disco que vale la pena escuchar. Tanto la música, como la letra, arreglos y producción corresponde a Alejandro Matos en su integridad, por lo que es un trabajo casero pero bastante bien llevado adelante y con las deficiencias de producción propias del caso, aunque el músico la lleva bastante bien.
. Las principales influencias que se hacen notar en el esquema sonoro orquestado por Matos provienen de Pink Floyd, Marillion, Genesis y Porcupine Tree y los aspectos menos tortuosos del King Crimson clásico. Tenemos aquí un testimonio del entusiasmo y talento de un músico al cual habría que prestar más atención dentro del círculo de amantes y coleccionistas del rock progresivo.
El señor Matos nos ofrece, en los tres discos que hemos presentado entre ayer y hoy, su visión peculiar sobre cómo explotar el lenguaje del rock desde aspiraciones netamente artísticas.
Vamos algunos comentarios en inglés y adéntrense en el disco, que vale mucho la pena:

Dark in the relationship to listener, that's Dos Mil Anos De Tierra, first track. It's rhythmic, it flows, it has raw energy (as in case of Metal for example, but far more moderated in this case). What I meant by this metaphor is that there's usually dark themed riff (sometimes riffs) used prominently on this album.
And we continue in this mood through entire album. That's good. Looks like that we have multi- instrumentalist here, this helps, however, I'm not sure if he's using electronic form of drumming or not.
Anyway, in case of "one-man" band, it's normal, so this foul act is overlooked. And it sounds good, this drumming part, so if it's not human input (as it probably isn't), it's a good work. Force (erm, I mean bass line) is strong in this child (damn again, I mean album), as is the atmosphere.
If you by sheer luck stumble over this record, I can recommend it for virtually everyone (except those looking merely for shiny-happy kind of Symphonic). What surprised me here is the originality. Maybe it's because I'm not so used listening South (E)'merican music, but I suppose that this album is unique enough and pleased me to extent where I can give it
4(+) /5, as it will please you as well I hope.

Marty McFly

Persona, the third release by Alejandro Matos, is an album combining heavy rock with an exotic approach. Despite being a multi-instrumentalist, Alejandro's preferred pick seems to be the guitar, being the one instrument that drives the album the most. Among other instruments are most notably the synths, which seem to take a more laid-back part on this album than the future release, Freak; frequent use of powerful organs; and often strong and relentless basslines.
The musical styles of the different songs on persona is quite broad, with for instance "Dos Mil Anos De Tierra" being a fierce and heavy rock track, featuring powerful drums and and melancholic arpeggios; the much more accesible and groovy "La Plaza Equivocoda"; and the symphonic main theme of "Dos Mil Anos Menos". The musicianship is great, though in particular the drums sound somewhat stiff. Notable are the vocals, which are sung by Alejandro in his native language. The vocals often are very clear and perhaps therefore dominant, though they leave plenty of space for the instruments. Although the album combines several different musical styles, the overall mood is quite heavy and melancholic (and sometimes even bordering mild forms of progressive metal) with its powerful riffs.
In the end, Persona is a really good release, having a dynamic flow more so than the following album. Still, I don't feel that it's good for 4 stars quite yet. If I could, I would rate it 3 and a half stars, but since that option isn't available, I'll round it down to 3 stars.

Loek

Alejandro Matos is an singer/songwriter/multi instrumentist from Argentina who has released four albums thus far. He was kind enough to provided me with his two last works for me to review. the first one I heard was this Persona. The music inside is quite dark and dense most of the time. It is very guitar led and it took me several spins to actually start getting into its music. His work has a strong late 70´s/early 80´s dark wave flavor, particularly of bands like Joy Divison, very early New Order and The Cure. But the sound is also very much of we called here in Brazil ´rock portenho´, the particular brand of 70´s argentianian rock music that includes several popular and folk influences of that country. The keyboards are very atmospheric while the bass is very good (again very 80´s). Drums are programmed, but I can live with that, specially if you have in mind the style played here.
The album has 14 tracks, most of them short ones, with many variations in rhythm and mood. Have in mind that this is no easy listening stuff, but if you listen carefully you´ll be reward with some very interesting and subtle sounds. The guitar parts in particular are brilliant. Matos is a accomplished songwriter and player (I really loved his unique guitar technique, particularly the long and beautiful solo on the last track Dos Mil Ânos Menos). His minimalistic style is very fitting to this genre. His lyrics are very well done, very clever. The production is quite good too. The only down side of the record are the vocals and it is the only thing that keeps me from giving Persona a four star rating. Matos singing is ok and heartfelt, but clearly it is also no match for the demands of his songs. He does not have enough range to reach the obvious calls his intricated and emotional tunes ask for. With a more versatile and strong vocalist, this could be a superb album.
If you like this kind of music this CD is highly recommended. Matos does a great job here. I´m looking forward to hear Freak.

Tarcisio Moura

Alejandro Matos (1969) is a multi-instrumentist musician from Argentina. His main instrument is the guitar, but he also plays bass, keyboards, sings, and also uses programmed drums. "Persona" is his third solo album, recorded between 2004-2005, and it was released in 2006, as an independent release (not released in major record labels) This is a conceptual album, and the concept in this album, if I understood well, is about how people since birth has to learn to live in a world which has several established things about how to live and how to relate to the others. The album is divided in two main parts: "Deformación" ("Deformation"), on which the composer explains in the lyrics (and in the CD booklet notes) that the people as persons "deformate" their personalities learning how to use masks to relate to other people and to live in the world. So, each individual loses their real personalities to survive in the world. This leads the persons to feel "unreal" to themselves, and this also leads them to feel unwell and angry. In the second part, called "Revelación" ("Revelation"), the persons become aware about this "deformation" in their personalities and try to fight to be themselves in a world dominated by the use of masks in the personal interactions. The conclusion is that every person has to use masks to live in the world, not matter how hard they fight to be themselves, and they feel that they are not free. The concept of this album has several criticisms (implicit in the lyrics) to education, politics and religion. The album doesn`t leave an optimimstic view to the listener in the end. But, despite being pessimistic in concept, it has some artisitic value, and it is a valid concept, even if the world`s view in the listener is not as pessimistic as the composer`s view. Musically, the music is dark, dense, and it is a continuous piece of music with the two main parts of the concept being united only by track 7, called "Fracasos bajo fianza"("Failures under bail"), which works as a quiet instrumental "bridge" between the two main parts of the album. The music has several influences from some bands, particularly The Cure, and sometimes from Pink Floyd, Arena, early Marillion, Lacrimosa and others. The guitars are played with a lot of arpeggios, without very much use of distortion (except in the guitar solos, which are paused, not very fast), creating "atmospheres". The keyboards are also used to create musical atmospheres, but in this album they are very much in the back of the mixing. The programmed drums (something which I don`t like very much in general, not only about this album) sound good, but they anyway sound "programmed". I think that the use of a good drummer could have been a better choice. The music is very Progressive, of course, but it also has some influences from not Progressive bands like The Cure and U2, mainly in the guitars playing. The mixing is very good, because Matos gives enough space to each instrument without using saturation for the overall sound of the album. As singer, Matos sings well, but I think that a strongest lead singer could have done a better work. The cover design is interesting, with the use of which looks like the fingerprint from a person, and it works with the concept of the album: each person is an individual who should be respected and cosnidered as an individual. As a whole, the album looks and sounds like being done with a lot of care (Matos even collaborates with other persons for the cover design). It is a good album, but it is not the kind of music that I listen to very often. But if you like dark albums, you are going to enjoy listening to this album. I suggest you to visit www.alejandromatos.com.ar to listen to this album and to buy it, if you like it.

Guillermo Vázquez Malagamba

A talented man from Argentina!
Once again, a clear example that progressive rock from South America is full of quality musicians can be seen here, with Alejandro Matos from Argentina. He is a man whose music is still relatively unknown, but he is struggling to share his life and music with listeners from all over the world. His will to create good music, and to share it, has to be rewarded with support from us, the listeners and reviewers. I want to thank Alejandro for his kindness.
"Persona" is his third album, released in 2006. It is important to say that all the music here was created by him, yes, he is actually a one-man band. The album consists of fourteen tracks and a total time of 64 minutes. It is divided in two parts, with an interlude which can be found in track 7, the first part is entitled "Deformación" while the second one is "Revelación".
The album opens with "Dos mil años de tierra" which is an aggressive song with a tense feeling, create by guitars and drums. There is also a nice guitar solo which completes that tension, I mean you may feel nervous while listening to it because it is what the music suggests. The vocals to be terribly honest are in my opinion not his best skill, however it sounds good. This is a very nice first song.
"El camino de la mala suerte" has started when you think you are still in the first track. The atmosphere has again some tension, however this time there is calmer on here. After minute two, drums appear, the bass sound is raw and strong. The final seconds are a bit heavier. "La Plaza Equivocada" has a charismatic sound, the keyboards and guitars are pretty good here. The rhythm is practically the same during the whole song, which is very enjoyable. Worth mentioning is that Alejandro forced his voice until reaching higher notes, pretty good effort.
"La justificación de los nuevos dientes" is a pretty nice track. His use of keyboards is much appropriated here; the "chorus" may be catchy and singable, but very interesting. A guitar solo at half the song, above some nice bass notes. The instrumental last minutes were a good choice. "Pecado de pecar" is a theme whose atmosphere shares again some kind of tension, however, the song in moments sounds pretty catchy and amateurish. Though I like the piano notes, I can say this is one of my least favorite tracks here.
On the other hand, "Guerra de Silencios" has to be one of the highlights of the album. This is the longest composition (more than eight minutes). The mood and the atmosphere is changing while the seconds pass. His vocal performance is again great here. Also, the keyboard sound that he uses, along with the bass notes are all accurate and well placed. The instrumental part where a soft guitar solo appears is excellent. Later vocals return and express unconformity, and in moments the song and his voice becomes heavier and more emotional, inviting the listener to share his protest. There is also a part where he screams Guerra and laughs, an ironical part that can also be well appreciated and enjoyed.
"Fracasos bajo fianza" as I previously said marks the half of the album, is like an interlude. Weird spoken female voice can be listened, and the keyboard sound as background produce again tension and nervous. That sound reminds me a bit of some Fripp's soundscapes. Later guitar enter for some seconds. This is an excellent track in my opinion. Different, but interesting and promising.
"Estatuas de Agua" starts all of a sudden with guitars and Matos voice, the soft sound produced will change later when an aggressive passage appears, when guitars stop being gentle and become heavier. There is a guitar solo after two minutes, and then the rhythm returns as it began, but the last part is emotional, when he says "nadaaa", it does provokes something on me.
"Teléfonos de Negro" is the shortest composition. Starts with some guitar but suddenly fades out and new chords and vocals appear. The lyrics are nice and touching, but the music is simple and repetitive. Not his best at all. "Gritos de Mañana" sounds like the second part of the previous song, though it is actually a new one. The sound and vocal rhythm is actually pretty similar to teléfonos?, so I would have gathered both songs and make it only one. There are nice guitars after the half of the song, but later it returns to its natural form.
"Dormir" has become my favorite track, it caught my attention since the first time I listened to it, but now I really love it. The bass sound helps a lot here, but it is a very complete song where all the instruments act properly and create a wonderful piece. The song may be repetitive, but once you are on it, you won't be able to escape. The atmosphere is dark and that is also because of the synth effects and guitars, along with Matos voice. I like the sounds he produces, while the seconds are passing new figures and textures can be listened. And this continues until the very end, excellent track.
"Las buenas razones del error" is another short track that sounds a bit like some previous ones. This is one thing I would like to mention, it is that in moments I found some tracks maybe unnecessary and repetitive. And now, after fifty minutes it is evident that one can easily note the repetition. "Maldita persona" sounds again like the second part of the previous track, because it has the same structure, it starts with bass notes when you think you are still in the latest track.
The last track is "Dos mil años menos" whose lyrics are excellent. The music is also good but here the message is the best. "Cómo esperar si este comienzo es un final" that phrase emphasizes what life is about. There is another guitar solo which is pretty good, and the piano sound adds an extra flavor. Nice last song.
Persona is a great album that shows the quality of Alejandro Matos, his talent can be appreciated in each and every of his compositions. Though as I said in some parts of my review, there are moments that sound repetitive and maybe unnecessary, some songs that could have been omitted or gathered with others. However, there are also excellent songs that should be appreciated and listened by more people. My final grade is three / five stars.
Enjoy it!

Guillermo H. Urdapilleta

Persona is the 3rd full-length studio album by Argentinian artists Alejandro Matos. The album was independently released in 2006. The album is a "true" one- man project as multi instrumentalist Alejandro Matos handles all instruments and sings all vocals. As I´m not familiar with the Spanish language, the lyrical concept is unfortunately lost on me, but I´m told that Persona is a concept album, which is further supported by the fact that the album is divided into two chapters with a sort of interlude seperating them. The first chapter is called Deformacion and the 2nd chapter is called Revelacion. The atmospheric interlude is called Fracasos Bajo Fianza.
The music on the album is melancholic rock with progressive elements. Alejandro Matos sings with great passion and while not all melody lines are equally memorable, there are several occasions during the playing time that provide emotional impact. References to acts like Porcupine Tree and late seventies Pink Floyd are valid IMO. The musicianship is strong on the album and it´s obvious that Alejandro Matos is a skilled musician. The vocals could have been a bit more varied, but otherwise the vocal performance is good. I´m sure that if I understood the lyrics the vocals would make even more of an impact on me. The drums on the album are programmed and if there´s a complaint about the album it´s about the drums. They are pretty well programmed but music like this needs a "real" drummer IMO. Programmed drums that are meant to sound artificial can be a great part of a band´s sound, but here the programmed drums work as a substitution to a real drummer and that´s seldom a good idea. The songs are all of a good compositional quality and I really enjoy the more dark moments on the album like the almost chaotic/ aggressive opener Dos mil años de tierra or Guerra de silencios.
The production is good, but there are minor issues here and there. Considering that Persona is a self-produced affair, I think the sound is very decent though.
Persona has been a positive experience to me, and with minor adjustments I´m positive that Alejandro Matos can reach an audience that will cherish his music. A 3 star rating is well deserved and while it´s not the fault of Alejandro Matos that I don´t understand the lyrics, I have a feeling that if I had understood the lyrics I would have given Persona another half star. I think it´s an album where you need to listen to the lyrics to get the full picture. On a sidenote I´d like to mention the great cover artwork. Beautiful piece of art.

UMUR

Alejandro Matos is a multi-instrumentalist from Argentina who pretty much does it all here. Obviously very talented but I wish he had a real drummer on board. Regardless, this is a really good release, especially the second half of the album. Vocals are in Spanish and it's fairly heavy on the lyrics which isn't surprising considering it's a concept album.
"Dos Mil Anos De Terra" opens with guitar before it kicks in rather heavily with drums.The drums are relentless throughout as vocals and guitar come and go. I like it. It blends into "El Camino De La Mala Suerte" where it turns spacey quickly as the sounds pulse. Bass then vocals around a minute. Drums after 2 minutes. It's heavier a minute later. "La Plaza Equivocada" has a good beat with organ. Vocals join in quickly. Not a fan of this one. "La Justificacion De Los Nuevos Dientes" has an 80's vibe early then it kicks in around a minute with organ. A catchy tune. Some nice guitar before 2 minutes. "Pecado De Pecar" opens with drums and guitar as reserved vocals join in. Piano around a minute. "Guerra De Silencios" puts the focus on the vocals. Not a fan really. "Fracasos Bajo Fianza" opens with female spoken word samples as synths wash in the background. "Estatcuas De Agua" opens with vocals and a cool sounding guitar. Drums join in then it kicks in before 2 minutes. Some excellent guitar and organ here. Love the bass. My favourite tune so far. "Telefonos De Negro" is mostly strummed guitar and vocals. "Gritos De Manana" is slower paced wih vocals and spacey sounds. We get a jazzy section which I really like before it returns to the earlier sound.
"Dormir" is a top three. I just like the beat with drums and those spacey sounds in the background. Vocals after a minute. Great sounding tune. "Las Buenas Razones Del Error" opens with organ as a beat with guitar joins in. Vocals too. It's fuller 1 1/2 minutes in then it settles back. "Maldita Persona" is different with those repetitive bass lines as vocals and guitar join in. It kicks in after a minute with drums pounding to the end. "Dos Mil Anos Menos" opens with a beat and piano.Vocals join in. A calm 2 minutes in then it kicks back in. Tasteful guitar before 4 minutes goes on and on. Nice.
I'm impressed. Parts of this album are excellent while others are not that great. So a little inconsistant, but it makes me look forward to the followup which is supposed to be even better.

John Davie

Very few musicians have the ability to create a full band recording of a song, never mind a complete album, and have it sound good. Todd Rundgren comes to mind, but not many others. Alejandro Matos actually does a decent job of it on this album.
It's obvious that Matos' primary instrument is guitar, as that is most prevalent in every song. His songwiting is very good, especially with darky, heavy minor key (my favorite) riffs. His keyboards tend to be mostly washes, and fullness-enhancing chords, and his drums are all electronic, but he does a better than average job hiding their nature.
The biggest problem are Matos' vocals. Now I don't understand the lyric (I presume that they are in Spanish), so I can't comment on the content, but Matos' voice is a weakness. His delivery is reminiscent of Peter Hammill (very good), but his tone and strength of voice are more like David Byrne (not so good). I find that the wavering around the actual notes gets tedious at times.
But still, I do like the album. 3.5 / 5 stars

Scott Evolver

Argentinian composer and multi-instrumentalist Alejandro MATOS has been active as a musician and band member since the early 90's, in particular from 1993 and onwards when he moved to Buenos Aires to study music. As the years went by he also started gathering material that needed additional outlets, and in 2000 he started a solo career with the album "Lo Que Qeda". Three more solo productions have followed, "Persona" from 2006 is the first of those excursions.
"Persona" is a production that should be sought out by those fond of art rock taking on darker moods utilizing a mildly eclectic stylistic canvas. Fans of later day Pink Floyd and Italian art rock seem to be the most probable audience for this venture, and in particular those among them fluent in Spanish, especially if they have a particular interest in conceptual productions.

Olav Martin Bjørnsen

This is my first approach to Alejandro Matos, a talented siger-songwriter one-man band. First of all he makes songs. This means that lyrics are important. My Spanish is quite poor, so I will write about the few that I have uderstood. The music has an electronic 80s dark flavour, mailny due to the use of electronic drumming. The use of flanger on the guitar makes it darker.
"Dos Mil Anos De Tierra" (2000 years of Earth) has a compulsive rhythm. The voice is dramatic. I didn't understand what the lyrics are about exactly. It stars with "Waiting is not possible" then he speaks of death and pain...from a musical point of view he tries to communicate a sense of drama, pain and a desire of rebellion or revenge. The short guitar riff is very appropriate in this sense.
"La Plaza equivocada" (The wrong place) is less dark than the first track (just a little bit) with a quasi-ska tempo. It makes me think to a new-wave group of the 80s, the Metro. One of their less known albums had athmospheres and sounds of this kind.
"El Camino De La Mala Suerte" (The bad fortune's walking) starts with keyboards followed by the bass. The sound is close to Joy Division, specially the bass. This song seems to be about tiredeness of living "Porque te ha tocado existir - Because you had to exist" is one of the sentences that I think I have catched.
"La Justificacion De Los Nuevos Dientes" (The reason of the new Theets) is a natural following to the previous track. More rhythm. I'm not able to understand what it's about. It transmits to me a sense of madness. The instrumental part until the final fading-out is excellent.
"Pecado de Pecar" (Sin of sinning)...a major chord here. At least one, but it doesn't last long. it's about religion and superstition. This is the less dark song even if not a relaxing one.
"Guerra De Silencios" (War of silences) is theatrical. It could be part of a concept or a rock- opera. There's a feel of Canterbury. The singing reminds me Robert Wyatt. Thinking to what this album reminds to me, I think Nick Mason's fictitious sports contains some slow tracks with the same feeling. "To discriminate it's better not seeing, not knowing" Alejandro says.
"Fracasos Bajos Fianza" Is hard to translate. Fianza is "bond" , so it could mean Bonds' failures. Voices in the background and keyboards. Should I classify this track, it's Psychedelic/Space rock.
"Estatuas De Agua" (Statues of Water) Bass, guitar and voice, then drums. A rock interlude, bass and the guitar solo. this is one of the heavier tracks. I think to "From Monument to Masses" as reference.
"Telefonos De Negro" (Black Telephones) I think is about desaparecidos, but I can't be sure. "They took my blood only for fun".
"Gritos de Manana" (Morning Cries) has an interesting jazzy instrumental part in the middle. "Dormir" (To sleep) Is again dark. "better not knowing, Better to sleep".
"Las Bienas Razones Del Error" (The good reasons of the mistake) This track makes me think to Joy Division, but the bass on "Maldita Persona" (Damned Person) sounds exactly as them.
The last track, "Dos Mil Anos Menos" (2000 years less),is an excellent closing track, with the best guitar solo of the whole album.
This is not ready for 4-stars rating, but 3 are too few. I'm confident that his last work, Freak will have 4. I'm about to start listening.to it.

Luca

Music meant to be heard. Another strong and pleasing effort by Matos.
Alejandro Matos is a great musician. His music is very stimulating, creative and original. This is the second album I've heard of him and I'm not really sure how to rate it, because it is better and worse at the same time than his album FREAK. What I'm sure is that I recommend this artist to any prog lover without hesitation. This music should be checked out by music lovers in general. Great stuff.
For starting, I can say that it's impressive to hear a complete album by a single musician and not feel that the album lack of creativity or depend too much on a particular instrument, like it happens most of the time. It's evident that Matos carefully put attention in all the instruments and even though the drums are evidently programmed, the result is very good, detailed and well worked. Same to say about bass, which really shares ideas; it's accurate and prominent as well. Keyboards set the mood and the guitars are the main instrument. Good decisions on the sound effects and distortions. It's evident that the musician took a lot of time on detail and that's great.
The music is dark but has a lot of different flavors, and is less plain that the album FREAK. The songs "Dos Mil Años de Tierra" and "La Plaza Equivocada" are really interesting, but in general all the songs are intense and dark and it's not difficult to get into the vibe of the album.
I found two weak points in the album: the first and more evident is the vocals. He is not a singer and the limitations of his vocals skills are evident, too evident. I like the dark style and the emphasis that made the music more personal but I know many people could complain about the limitation of his range and style. The other one is the sound of the drums. The performance is quite good but the sound is too fake, but this is upgraded in the album FREAK in which the drums have a very realistic sound.
These problems are not important enough to drag down a great album, professional and worked on detail. I do want to explore more about this artist and I strongly recommend it, especially to those who like Latin American prog rock. 3.5 / 5 stars, but growing. Give it a try.

Juan Pablo Mijangos

Second work by Alejandro Matos that I checked out this week. An interesting mix of styles with some very, very good guitar work throughout. Like his next work Freak, there is a strong dark and moody feel to this release that makes it an enjoyable listen. The arrangements are good, with the guitar as the center piece. Some excellent heavy tracks, especially "Dos Mil Anos De Tierra." As with Freak I got a feel of early King Crimson in some of the tracks.
As I mention in my review of Freak, my biggest problem with Mr. Matos' work are the weak vocals. He is an excellent composer, the works are very well arranged, the playing is top notch, but the vocals bring them down. That is unfortunately true on Persona as it is on Freak. It's really too bad. With better vocals these are easily 4 star releases. A solid 3 stars with the hopes that the vocals will improve in the future.

yanch

"Persona" is an album by the Argentinian artist Alejandro Matos. He does about all the work on this album on his own and proves to be a skilled musician. The music on this album can be generally described as guitar-driven rock with a progressive touch and a dark edge. I recognize some Pink Floyd-influences now and then and, as I guess, some Latin-American influences in the melodic lines.
The album is devided into two parts of almost equal length: "Deformacion" and "Revelacion", separated by one single track. The first two tracks, "Dos Mil Años de Tierra", and "El Camino de la Mala Suerte", make up a strong opening section: "Dos Mil Años de Tierra" is dominated by pounding drumbeats and echoing Hank B. Marvin-alike guitar, "El Camino de Mala Suerte" is a quiet track that opens with synthesizer and bass, with the guitar entering in the middle of the song. I like this track. Hereafter follow three less interesting tracks in which the vocals seem to hover a bit around the right key. The 8.5 minute "Guerra de Silencios", that ends this section, is better.
The track that separates the two chapters, "Fracasos Bajo Fianza", begins with female chattering, which is taken over by synths. Towards the end of the track it sounds as if someone dials the tuning button of a transitor receiver in the evening hours, when many radio stations are on the air.
The Revelacion part is the most interesting section of the album. "Estatuas de Agua", the space-rock of "Dormir" and the closing track, "Dos Mil Años Menos", belong to the best tracks of this album. I also like the transition in "Las Buenas Razones del Error" that introduces "Maldita Persona", which has a 5/4 time signature. The last track ends with a Gilmouresque three minute guitar solo, which is one of the highlights of this album.
I cannot tell anything about the lyrics, because they are in Spanish and it takes quite a lot of my precious time to reassemble and decipher the output from the linguistic shredder's attempts to translate the lyrics on Alejandro's website.
Despite a few weaker points here and there, this album gives me an overall good impression and it is a pleasant listen. I think that a 3+ rating fits this album well.

Robert

Well, this album is quite a surprise in the progressive rock world. The instrumentation seems to be stripped down to guitars, drums, bass and the occasional organ. Alejandro Matos resorts to different sounds with his guitar giving the overall sound a post-rock feeling. The first track sets the album's mood which is quite dark. The drumming is various, never dull. One negative aspect, in my opinion, are the vocals which requires some getting used to. The album's sound is very clean and is very enjoyable to listen to on a hifi system. Finally, the songs also convey the feeling that they are played by one man and not a band, but this doesn't stop me from liking it. So, all in all a good album if you can get your hands on it. Three stars and half really.

Jean-Francois Cousin

Repito, no dejen de escuchar éste disco y conocer a éste músico. Otro paseo por los vericuetos del mejor under argentino, en el blog cabezón.


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Lista de Temas:
1. Dos mil años de tierra
2. El camino de la mala suerte
3. La plaza equivocada
4. La justificación de los nuevos dientes
5. Pecado de pecar
6. Guerra de silencios
7. Fracasos bajo fianza
8. Estatuas de agua
9. Teléfonos de negro
10. Gritos de mañana
11. Dormir
12. Las buenas razones del error
13. Maldita persona
14. Dos mil años menos

Alineación:
- Alejandro Matos / guitars, voices, programming, bass, keyboards and all instruments